Study and art location Kassel

The study location Kassel is not only characterized by a thematically wide-ranging art history teaching. With the third largest concentration of museums in Germany, Kassel also offers students a multifaceted study of art history. In addition to renowned collections (the largest Rembrandt collection in Germany) and exhibition venues, there are numerous other institutions such as libraries, archives and institutes at your disposal.

Studying art history in Kassel is characterized by its connection to the documenta, which every five years turns the city into the venue for one of the world's most famous major exhibitions of contemporary art. This provides students of art history with special insights that can be deepened in corresponding courses and research projects. Between the 5-year exhibitions, you can also discover the many, sometimes hidden, outdoor documenta artworks in Kassel's urban environment.

The documenta archive has an impressive collection of text and image sources on contemporary art. Kassel is therefore predestined for the study of more current positions from the end of the 20th century. In addition, the internationally renowned Museum Fridericianum, which was founded in 1779 as one of the first public museums on the European mainland and is now an art gallery, presents a broad spectrum of contemporary art.

Another attraction is the newly founded documenta Institute, where specific documenta professorships and their employees conduct research into processes of artistic and curatorial production, social issues and the reception of documenta. Students can actively participate in this.

Centrally yet quietly located between Frankfurter Straße with its numerous stores, galleries, bars and restaurants and the extensive Karlsaue park, you will find the buildings of the Kunsthochschule Kassel, where the art studies course is also based.

Although the beginnings of the Kunsthochschule Kassel can be traced back to the end of the 18th century, the Kunsthochschule has only existed in its current form as a semi-autonomous institute of the University of Kassel since the early 1970s. The direct proximity of the degree courses in Fine Arts, Product Design, Visual Communication, Art Education and Art Studies enables a direct exchange by bringing together scientific, artistic, creative and art education perspectives. This is reflected not only in joint, interdisciplinary projects, but also in the opportunity to visit one of the 14 study workshops and experience artistic processes directly as an art historian.

The public transport network is only a few minutes away, which means that the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe or the numerous museums can be reached quickly and easily. It is also only a few minutes by bike through the Karlsaue park and along the Fulda river to Holländischer Platz, where the main campus of the University of Kassel is located.

The broad spectrum of art history studies that characterizes art history in Kassel can also be experienced in the local museum landscape. Key works from all periods of art from antiquity to the present day can be viewed and studied in numerous exhibition halls and collections, which are located close together. The Museumslandschaft Hessen-Kassel alone offers all the possibilities for comprehensive art historical study in front of originals with the Collection of Classical Antiquities, the Old Masters Picture Gallery, the Graphic Collection and the New Gallery. These institutions are supplemented by exhibition halls such as the documenta-Halle or the Fridericianum, which offer insights into current international art in temporary exhibitions. In Kassel, ancient sculpture and vase painting, medieval panel painting, 17th century Dutch painting, 18th, 19th and 20th century art as well as contemporary object art and installations can be found in close proximity to one another. Institutions such as the Museum for Sepulchral Culture (objects from the cult of the dead and burial) or the GRIMMWELT also enrich the collections of fine and decorative arts with special collections of arts and crafts and cultural history.

Kassel is a very rich city from a cultural and historical point of view, despite the heavy destruction during the Second World War: in addition to the post-war modernist architecture that characterizes the city centre, Kassel has a well-preserved Wilhelminian quarter in the west and numerous parks dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Together with the complementary project of Joseph Beuys' project "7000 oaks - urban forestation instead of urban administration" on the occasion of documenta 7, Kassel is now the second greenest city in Germany. The axis of Wilhelmshöher Allee leads from the baroque Karlsaue park with orangery to the east of the city center to Kassel's biggest attraction in the west - Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe. The 560-hectare landscaped garden with its impressive water features has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013. Between the Hercules building - Kassel's landmark - and Wilhelmshöhe Palace, the artistic water features stretch over cascading staircases and romantic rock formations. The system is based on a 300-year-old engineering achievement that still works without the use of pumps. Dating back to the centuries-long cultural commitment of the landgraves of Kassel, a rich world of historical buildings, horticultural installations and art treasures has developed around Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, which is a valuable source of practical and research-oriented study for prospective art historians.

Kassel has an advantageous geographical location. Situated in the center of Germany, you can reach cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt a. M. or Munich quickly and with good connections. Regular excursions to museums, exhibitions or trade fairs are offered by the Department of Art Studies. Day trips for study purposes can be organized easily and without great effort on your own. With the semester ticket, the University of Kassel offers the opportunity to use buses and trains in northern Hesse around the clock free of charge. The cities of Göttingen, Marburg and Fulda with their important art treasures are also connected. Students can also attend seminars and courses at the universities in Marburg and Göttingen, which can complement a broader study profile. Students thus benefit from Kassel's central location and can network ideally from here.